Gas blast label applicators are known from the prior art and are typically used for labelling items which pass beneath the applicator on a conveyor. Using the gas blast avoids contact with sensitive items such as fruit which may be damaged by direct contact applicators. In these devices a label strip is passed around a peel knife to remove successive adhesive-backed labels fixed thereto and present each label to an applicator head against which the label is held by a vacuum. When a detector indicates the presence of the object to be labelled a gas blast is used to apply the label. For economic high speed application of labels to relatively inexpensive bulk items (such as fruit, for example) the capital cost of the labeller must be as low as possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,913 describes an applicator where the applicator head may be automatically raised and lowered depending upon the size of the object to be labelled. In this device the partial vacuum drawn through the applicator head is supplied in the manner of the prior art, such as by connection to a vacuum reservoir/vacuum pump. The complexity and consequent high manufacturing cost of this machine, including costly items such as vacuum pumps and reservoirs makes it unsuited for use in labelling bulk items.
It is an object of the present invention at least to address the foregoing problems or to provide the general public with an alternative system.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of example only.